


Max

by terma_archivist



Category: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Once a Thief (TV)
Genre: Language, M/M, Mild Smut, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-01
Updated: 2002-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26535841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terma_archivist/pseuds/terma_archivist
Summary: Oh dear, don't look for a plot. Just expect a little fun.
Relationships: Peter Caine/Victor Mansfield
Kudos: 1
Collections: TER/MA





	Max

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alicettlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [TER/MA](https://fanlore.org/wiki/TER/MA) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [the TER/MA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/terma/profile).  
> Notes: Peter Caine is a character played by the lovely and talented Chris Potter. Not beta'd—consider yourself warned Sandra, m'dear, this is for you—after all, it was your tapes that managed to bring Peter so compellingly into my sick and twisted thoughts... I need more, BTW parsley, lizard and trip are the words today

  
**Max  
by Jennie**

  
Vic grumbled under his breath as he searched the cupboards for dried parsley flakes. Dammit, he _knew_ he'd just bought some... What in the hell had he done with it? Glancing up at the clock, he grimaced. He was running out of time. 

Peter would be here soon. Expecting dinner. 

And he couldn't find the fucking parsley. 

How the hell could he finish off the gyro meat without parsley? 

Once again, he opened the cabinet above the stove and rummaged through the jars of spices. Ah ha... triumphantly, he grabbed the needed item and opened it, sprinkling a fair amount of the spice into the ground meat mixture. He stirred it and added a touch more water, lowering the heat. 

There. That could simmer while he ran up and changed... 

The doorbell rang. 

Shit. 

He shrugged and wiped his hands off on the dishtowel at his waist, as he crossed to open the door. 

"Peter," he greeted, holding the door open for the other man. "Come on in." 

"Hey, Vic." Peter Caine walked into the room and sniffed the air appreciatively. "Whatever you're cooking up smells great!" 

"Thanks," he answered, gratified at not hearing any nasty insinuations about his cooking—a la Mac. "I made gyros... hope you like Greek." 

Reran his own words through his head at Peter's amused look and blushed fiercely. "I mean Greek cooking." 

"I know what you meant, Vic." Peter grinned at him. "And, the answer is, yes, I _do_ like Greek." 

Oh my. 

Vic swallowed heavily and tried to gather his scattered wits. "Um... lemme take your coat. Come on in and sit down, dinner'll be ready soon. You want a drink?" 

Slipping out of his jacket, Peter handed it—along with his shoulder holster, to Vic. "I'll have whatever you're having... to drink." 

"Oh." Vic stood for a second, holding the jacket and weapon and frantically searched his mind for even a hint of just what he _had_ been drinking. Oh, yeah... "Wine," he stated baldly, tossing the jacket and holster onto a chair. "We're having wine with dinner, I'll just go and get you some." 

Peter followed him into the kitchen and watched bemused as Vic fumbled with the wine, sloppily filling a glass and thrusting it into his hand. 

"Thanks." Peter took a sip and smiled appreciatively. "Nice." 

Nervously, Vic moved to the stove and stirred the meat. "It's about ready... you want to eat now or sit down for a bit first. Drink wine, talk... you know?" 

Peter smiled and took a step back. "Let's sit down in the living room. Talk a little. We really haven't had a chance to know each other very well." 

Nodding, Vic moved to follow. It was all too true. He and Caine had run across each other on a recent case here in Toronto and had seemed to hit it off pretty well. Certainly they shared an intensity in their work that Mac Ramsey, his partner and sometimes nemesis, was definitely lacking. And, they'd discovered that they really enjoyed working out together. Vic had learned quite a bit from the cop already. He was always sore after a good workout; this kung fu stuff was deceptively strenuous. 

They also shared common interests as they were of an age. That was so fucking nice after listening to Mac's incessant digs about Vic's advancing years. 

And there was the physical interest. It had been a long time since he'd played the game, but Vic felt pretty sure that his interest in Peter was returned. 

At least, he hoped it was. 

Peter backed up another step and Vic's eyes widened in horror. 

"Watch out," he tried to warn the other man. "You're going to trip over—" 

Down Peter went. 

Max, taking great offense at this, bobbed his head fiercely at Peter and lashed him with his tail. 

"Hey!" Peter rolled away from the threatening lizard. "What the fuck?" 

"Oh man," Vic moaned. He stepped over Max, expertly dodging the lethal tail, and offered Peter a hand. "I'm really sorry about that." 

"Uh huh." Accepting the proffered hand, Peter rose to his feet, careful to keep Vic's body between him and the damned lizard. "I hate to ask a stupid question, Vic... But, why the hell do you have an attack-lizard running loose?" 

"He belongs to the kid next door," Vic explained. "They're on vacation and I'm watching Max for them. He's a little cranky and the vet's office won't keep him anymore." 

Peter glared down at the iguana, noting that the creature seemed to have decided that he was beneath its notice. Eyes closed, head turned away, Max was the very picture of silent contempt. 

"Doesn't he have a cage, or something?" Peter asked. 

"Actually, he kinda outgrew his cage... um, I usually lock him in the bathroom. Must've left the door open earlier." 

Gingerly, Vic reached down to pick up the iguana. He sighed with relief when Max declined to put up a fight. "I'll be right back," he said, heading out of the room to put Max away. 

Moving back into the kitchen, Peter refilled his wineglass and grabbed a towel to clean up the mess from his earlier spill. A lizard. Of all the damned things... he just _had_ to go and fall over a fucking iguana. 

Surely, Vic now thought he was a clumsy idiot. 

Shit. 

He wanted Vic. Had from the first moment he'd laid eyes on the man. Had been desperately trying to come up with a way to ask the man out at the end of the case—without offending him, if he'd read Vic's interest wrongly—when Vic had suddenly invited him over for dinner. He'd been nervously hopeful on his arrival. Heartened a bit by Vic's obvious anxiety. 

And then he'd gone and fallen over a lizard. 

He groaned aloud, sure that Vic was laughing at him. 

"Hey." Vic came into the room. "You okay?" He asked, concerned by that groan. "You didn't hurt yourself when you fell over Max?" 

Peter offered an embarrassed smile. "Only my pride was injured. The rest of me is fine." 

"Oh yeah," Vic agreed. "The rest of you is definitely fine." 

Then, _he_ was the one groaning aloud. Raising his hands to cover his flaming face, he mumbled through his fingers; "Please tell me I didn't say that out loud." 

"Loud and clear, my friend." Peter smiled widely. "Loud and clear... and I'm most... gratified to hear that you think so." 

Vic peeked at the other man and sighed with relief. A beautiful smile, body language that suddenly screamed 'let's fuck' and, best of all, a decided twinkle of amusement in his pretty eyes. 

"So... " Vic moved a step closer, "the question is, dinner now? Or shall we—um—get to know each other a little better?" 

"Oh, I think the second... I'm starved, Vic—but not for dinner. I think we need to work up an appetite for food first." 

"Jesus, I'm glad you said that," Vic said huskily. "Let's go into the bedroom—that is what you want, isn't it?" 

Peter grinned. "Lead the way, Vic. I'm right behind you." 

So, Vic did. And damned if they didn't work up one hell of an appetite. 

Unfortunately, by the time they emerged in search of sustenance, dinner was ruined. Vic shrugged. Hell, it had been a small sacrifice to pay, he decided. Picking up the phone, he called out for pizza. 

"We've got 45 minutes before they deliver." Vic moved behind Peter, wrapping his arms around the man's midsection. "Any ideas on how we can pass the time?" 

"Oh," Peter turned in his arms and grinned wickedly. "I have a thought or two." 

He hauled a very willing Vic back to the bedroom. 

Damned if that 45 minutes didn't just fly by. 

Vic reluctantly climbed out of bed and pulled on his jeans before going to collect their dinner. He brought the pizza, the wine and a huge smile back into the bedroom. "I think we'll just eat right here... avoid spending energy on unnecessary, um, exercise." Vic shucked his jeans and climbed back into the bed. 

Peter smiled. "I like the way your mind works, Mansfield... you have your priorities in good order." He grabbed a slice of pizza, offering the first bite to Vic. 

They lounged in the bed, feeding each other pizza, licking away grease from each other's lips and generally being tenderly silly as new lovers often were. 

It was nice. 

Once they were finished eating, Vic put the empty box on the floor and filled their glasses with the last of the wine. He lay back against Peter's shoulder with a contented sigh. "What now?" He asked lazily. 

"Well," Peter teased, "a shower might be nice... all that warm water... soap... mmm...." 

"Sounds good to me," Vic agreed, pulling away to rise to his feet. 

"But first..." Peter said in a very serious voice. 

"What?" Vic asked, somewhat concerned by Peter's tone. 

"You're gonna have to get that man-eating lizard out of there." 

Vic snorted with laughter. "He's not all that bad, really. But, I certainly don't intend to shower with _him_." 

Moving with alacrity, Vic went into the bathroom and moved Max down to the kitchen. There. He smiled satisfied that Max would not be a problem. The linoleum floor was chilly. Iguanas are cold-blooded. Within moments, Max would shut down. Oh, the floor wasn't cold enough to harm the animal—but, it would definitely keep him out of the way for the foreseeable future. 

And Vic had some very intriguing ideas about how he wanted to spend the immediate future. 

He headed back to the bedroom, smiling in anticipation. 

* * *

So, there we were, both Sue and I having the same problem. None of our boys were cooperating... neither of us getting any writing done. So, we decided to play the 3 word game. I gave her three, she gave me three and we each wrote a vignette contanaining said words—using the pairing of our choice. This is what I came up with... 

Title: Max   
Author: Jennie   
Fandoms: Once a Thief/Kung Fu: The Legend Continues   
Pairing:Vic Mansfield/Peter Caine   
Rating: PG for language and implied smut   
Archive: Yes, to RatB, DitB and Fries   
Disclaimers: Not my characters, no money made.   
Feedback: [email removed]   
Notes: Peter Caine is a character played by the lovely and talented Chris Potter.   
Not beta'd—consider yourself warned   
Summary: Oh dear, don't look for a plot. Just expect a little fun. 

Sandra, m'dear, this is for you—after all, it was _your_ tapes that managed to bring Peter so compellingly into my sick and twisted thoughts... I need more, BTW parsley, lizard and trip are the words today   
  
---


End file.
